Storytelling — Chapter 2: Imagination
It had been two long days since the earthquake had rippled through their small apartment leaving behind its chaotic wreckage. Roy lay restless in bed staring blankly up at the ceiling fan which whirled slowly around counterclockwise casting shadows across the dimly lit room. Angelica lay curled up with her head resting on the silk pillowcases that stretched to cradle her and Nico whose gentle snoring punctuated the evening.
Though there was damage to their home it paled in compared to downtown Seattle which had been rocked and hit by the full force of the occasion. His office downtown near the waterside lay in shambles leaving him and all of his coworkers in a suspended state while they await repairs and new computers to go about their daily tasks. Even still it would be months before he would return fully to the office, as it had broke on the news early that day that the main bridge into the city would need extensive repairs which were likely to take years and cause major traffic bottlenecks.
While it had only really taken the better part of a day to clean up from the wreckage of their home a return to normalcy still seemed miles away. Electricity was still inconsistent with unstable power grids, and water still required consumption from filtered bottles. If anything it felt like the Andersons had spent the past nights camping in their home given their consumption of canned foods cooked over the barbeque that graced their patio.
This left Roy staring down the barrel of potentially weeks of waiting to get back into the swing of life. This irritated him to no end. Always a busy bee Roy preferred to live life quickly and efficiently jumping from goals and tasks, always thinking ahead. Two days in and he around found himself annoyed at the lack of purpose and objective in his life. Spread across weeks the very thought of nothingness filled him with unease.
His wife on the other hand excelled at taking one day at a time. In her view, each and every day should be enjoyed to its fullest without being consumed by the worries of tomorrow. While Roy found this particularly challenging to digest at times, it filled him with inspiration enough to overcome some of the particularly challenging periods in his own life.
Sighing he slowly rolled over to his right side and craned his neck to see his two corgis curled up on the dog bed next to each other. While their eyes were closed he knew that any sudden movement would cause them to bolt upright and inform the entire world that they were aware and unapproving of the decisions made around them. He reached an arm out from his sheets and gently scratched the older one Martin right behind his ear. Martin’s right eye slowly popped open as his lips curled into a small smile at the affection he was receiving, slowly he wiggled onto his back to expose his belly which he did at every chance he could. Giulia on the other hand only stirred a little at the disturbance from her fellow bed mate rustling about.
With a small smile breaching Roy’s lips he slowly swung one leg after another out from under the sheets and planted himself on the floor. If he couldn’t bring himself to sleep he might as well get up and do something to take his mind of the endless darkness the enveloped him.
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The hot water kettle clicked to announce that the liquid inside had officially reached a nice boil. Dropping a peppermint tea bag into a cup bearing the seal of his old university Roy slowly tipped the contents of the kettle into the cup, watching as the hot wisps released themselves.
He walked cautiously over to the red sofa that donned their living room and grabbed a computer tablet that had been charging on the way over. Placing the steaming cup of tea on the small curved table next to the sofa he slid into a lounge position against a worn pillow and grabbed the knitted blanket that was draped around the back to toss over his lap. Settled in, Roy unlatched the case to the tablet and stared intently at the black screen.
The tablet wouldn’t turn on. It turns out that throughout the whole day the tablet hadn’t been charging. Under his breath, Roy swore to himself that first thing tomorrow he’d throw out that cursed charging cable that had been a constant source of frustration for the past few months. It had to be plugged into devices just so, otherwise, it wouldn’t work and even then the slightest bump would cause it to disconnect.
Unceremoniously tossing the tablet aside Roy gazed around the dimly lit living room seeking something to take his mind off the nothingness that kept him awake. Nico’s Duplo’s piled onto the coffee table with a makeshift train station. Angelica’s knitting and puzzle books were piled onto the other side table. Otherwise, the living room lay spartan, empty and devoid of anything that captured Roy’s attention long enough to invest in. It wasn’t helped by the flickering of the lamp that struggled to cast it’s light around the room.
Annoyed Roy stood up and walked into the kitchen where he lit a large pine-scented candle. He’d had to turn off the lamp, the flicker was driving him crazy. He was about to turn around when he noticed a pad of paper on the counter. Angelica has been taking studious notes on everything in the house that had been damaged for insurance purposes the day before so it was scribbled with notes. But as he looked at it Roy suddenly got an idea.
With the glow from the candle acting as his primary light source, Roy crept into his office and reached for his Grandfather’s pen which sat atop his desk. With it, in hand, he made his way back to his tea in the living room and nestled into the sofa once more. The gentle dance of the candle illuminated the blank pad of paper that lay on his lap.
Slowly spinning the pen in his fingers Roy examined the pen’s delicate features and smooth lines. He recalled the moment his grandfather Mckinsey had handed it to him. He had just finished reading through a short story that Roy had written years back about imagination when he summoned Roy to his study.
“I’ve just finished the story, and believe me when I say that I am most delighted by the idea. I think, given enough time you could actually take this talent somewhere.” His grandfather Mckinsey stated as he leaned back against his diamond-stitched leather chair. “That said, I have a small little gift that I’d like for you to have.” He reached across the chair to the dark cedar bookshelves crammed from floor to ceiling with books that lined the studies four walls and snatched a small box from the shelf that Roy had never seen. Then again he wasn’t ever really allowed in his Grandfathers study which itself always retained a sense of mystery.
“This has been a constant source of imagination within my life for years. Having seen you grow and knowing the man who you have become, I’d like nothing less than to pass it along to you now to help you tell your own stories.” His time-weathered hands fumbled to unlatch the small golden clip that clamped the box together. Successfully opening the clip Mckinsey slowly turned the box around to show Roy, which unveiled a golden pen curled up in a red silk fabric.
Mckinsey leaned forward.“Roy, within this pen there is powerful beyond your most wild imaginations, use it with care.”
Use it with care. His grandfather's last statement lingered in Roy’s mind as he sipped his tea in the candlelight. Use it with care.
That was the last time Roy had seen his Grandfather Mckinsey. He had stopped by to visit briefly and had to duck out for a dentist appointment. After that visit, he never heard again from his grandfather who had mysteriously disappeared.
Emotions slowly began to creep from Roy’s chest to his eyes as his memories of life at his Grandfathers home swept him away from the safety of his sofa to the roaming hills of the countryside and the rows of sweeping blackberry bushes that he and his sister raced through as children.
A small whimpering broke the silence and brought Roy back. His youngest corgi Giulia had dragged himself out of bed and now sat waiting at his feet for an invitation to jump on his lap. She was the funniest of the two corgis and needed nothing else than a warm lap to curl up on and feel safe. With a quick pat on the sofa next to his legs, Giulia sprung up and curled her little black and brown body into the arch of his legs.
Minutes slowly ticked by. His tea slowly disappearing. The candle burned down filling the air with the scent of pine trees. The watch on his wrist hit 2:30am. He took to top off the pen and pressed it against the pad of paper.
“Nico sat on the end of the steps after practice had ended. He had just finished another day of cross country practice at his high school. Though not a particularly good runner, he tried his best to keep up with the strenuous exercise and did genuinely enjoy the company of his peers with who he suffered through the pain of the miles. He was waiting for his mother to pick him up but knew today that she was going to be late having had to pick up his other siblings from their own appointments.
His feet tapped the edge of the concrete as he listened to music streaming into his ears. He wanted to dance and embrace the songs and melodies that swept him away but was far too shy to do so in front of the gymnasium where the rest of the students could see it. That would have to wait for when he got home where he didn’t have to worry about the judgment of others. Least of which Victoria whom he had had a crush on for years.
Truth be told he was in cross country so he could spend more time with her. For years he had hungout on the edges of her friend’s group, but had never been able to find a way to connect with her. Ah, Victoria… perfectly graceful, driven to excel, and stunning to behold. But Nico knew deep down he didn’t have a chance in hell to be with her… he was too average.
Jumping up from the steps he half-waved to his fellow runners who likewise sat waiting for parents to arrive and began to walk. He texted his mother, that he was just going to walk home with his hands hanging onto his backpack straps. While home meant that Nico was in for a bit of a walk from his school he wanted to get his mind off Victoria… and besides the spring day was glorious; warmth spilled from the sun with a pleasant breeze the cooled his face as he hiked up the hill towards home.
Passing by the public park that ran the length of Richardson Avenue Nico’s thoughts kept drifting from school that day to Victoria. Annoyed, he stopped at the western edge of the park where people lay in the sun and chose to plop himself down on the grass and close his eyes to rest for a minute or two.
Arms behind his head he lay on the grass field eyes closed feeling the breeze slowly curl around his body. His thoughts racing through his mind. If only I wasn’t normal…. If only I could be special… Then she’d noticed me.
Nico never made it home.”
Interesting. There’s definitely a story here somewhere. Roy stopped for a moment to take account of what he had written so far. He had struggled over the past several months to write anything he found truly meaningful. Yet here he had actually put together the start of something interesting and all he had done was to use his own memories and his son as inspiration. The pen did the rest.
The watch on his wrist clicked over. He had been up for over an hour and his eyes were finally beginning to feel heavy. Placing the pad of paper and pen down on the side table, Roy blew out the candle that flicked out and lifted Giulia off to bed.
The door slowly clicked closed behind him as he entered his room. Rest was found with ease.
The following morning Roy returned to the side table to find the pad of paper where he had written his story last night was empty.
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